Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

The Psalm: Psalm 99

1

The Lord is King; let the people tremble; *

he is enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth shake.

2

The Lord is great in Zion; *

he is high above all peoples.

3

Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *

he is the Holy One.

4

“O mighty King, lover of justice, you have established equity; *

you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”

5

Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and fall down before his footstool; *

he is the Holy One.

6

Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *

they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

7

He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *

they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.

8

O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *

you were a God who forgave them, yet punished them for their evil deeds.

9

Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God and worship him upon his holy hill; *

for the Lord our God is the Holy One.

The Second Lesson: 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.